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Airbus headquarters logo. (Courtesy of Airbus) |
[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] Airbus, one of the world’s two leading commercial aircraft manufacturers alongside Boeing, issued a large-scale recall order for its flagship A320 family aircraft due to a critical software issue. While flight delays and cancellations were reported worldwide, the anticipated disruption was largely mitigated after software upgrades were completed within a day.
Of the A320 aircraft operating in Korea, 42 units required immediate software updates. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, most affected aircraft have now completed the necessary procedures.
As of the 30th, the aviation industry confirmed that all 42 Korea-based A320 family aircraft subject to the recall have undergone the required software updates. Korea currently operates 80 A320-series aircraft, including updates needed for:
Korean Air: 10
Asiana Airlines: 17
Air Busan: 11
Aero K: 3
Air Seoul: 1
Major international media outlets, including AFP, reported on November 28 that Airbus issued a recall after identifying a software defect that could cause “severe flight safety risks, including sudden loss of altitude.”
The issue was detected during the investigation of a JetBlue A320 that made an emergency landing on October 30 while flying from Cancún to the United States. Strong solar radiation was found to have affected the aircraft’s ELAC (Elevator Aileron Computer) system, prompting the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to issue an urgent directive requiring all A320-series operators to update or replace the ELAC software no later than 8:59 a.m. KST on November 30.
First introduced in 1988, the A320 has sold 12,257 units as of September, surpassing the Boeing 737 as the world’s best-selling commercial aircraft.
Concerns initially grew as the recall coincided with the U.S. Thanksgiving travel season, with early estimates suggesting that approximately 6,000 of the 11,300 active aircraft worldwide could be affected. Major news outlets warned of potential travel chaos.
However, disruptions were limited due to Airbus’s rapid response and quick software updates by global airlines. Most affected aircraft were able to resolve the issue with a one-hour cockpit software installation, significantly reducing operational impact.
Philippe Tabarot, France’s Minister Delegate for Transport, told BFMTV that Airbus had already fixed issues in over 5,000 aircraft by the morning of the 29th, and that the number of aircraft requiring long-term maintenance would likely be closer to 100, far lower than the initially expected 1,000.
Some carriers in Asia and Latin America, however, experienced notable disruptions. Colombia’s Avianca reported that the recall affected more than 70% of its fleet, prompting the suspension of ticket sales through December 8 due to unavoidable operational delays over the next ten days.
Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) canceled 95 flights the previous day, affecting 13,200 passengers, and announced an additional six cancellations on the 30th, with no further cancellations planned.
Elsewhere, Australia’s Jetstar canceled 90 flights after determining that 34 aircraft were affected, while India’s aviation authorities confirmed that 338 domestic aircraft would require action under the Airbus directive.
Alphabiz Reporter Kim Jisun(stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
